Striping device for knitting-machines.



.PATIENTIIID APR. 23, 1907.

1). P. SULLIVAN. STRIPING DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20. 190B.

2 SEBIGTSBKYBET 1.

l llln Iiu PATENTED APR. 23, 1907.

I D. F. SULLIVAN, STRIPING DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES APPLICATION FILED nomlzo. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET z.

entrain ST TE? PATENT UFFTCE.

ETRBFMKQDEVICE FOR KNlTTiNG-MACHlNES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 23, 1907.

Application filed November 20,1906. Serial No. 344,324.

To (I l/h wit/mt it Hwy concur/1i:

Be it known that l, DANIEL l SULLIVAN, a citizen. of the United States, residing at Lowell, in the county of Middlcsex and (Joinmonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful improvement in Striping Devices for linittingl\lachim s, of which the following is a specification.

. This invention relates to striping devices fog knitting-niachincs, more s icciiically to striping attachments for circular spring-needie lmitthrg-machines, and comprises 'im proved mechanism'for guiding, cutting, holding and rcleasingthe yarns to change the -3t1l1)8dli02tlis for adjusting the amount of ening of the yarn chopperor cutter and of t re yarn-holder; means of varying the time of opening said cutter and holder to receive and release yarn with reference to the time of movement of the movable yarn-guides; means for in dependcntl y adjusting said yarnguides to bring the yarns to the proper height "on the Shil (lll.*\VllOl or loop-wl'ieelg double yarn-guides for so-called plaited work, and other devices and combinations hereinafter described and ClttlIIlBd.

The terms yarnrguide and yarn-guides herein used without other qualifications will be understood to to the movable yarnguide'tubes, the fixed yarn-guide being designated as the outside yarn-guide.

The present invention is an improvement in some respects on the invention shown and described in reissued Letters Patent No. 12,251, dated Julyffio, 1904, granted to my assignee, and enables me to dispense with the locking-levers therein. shown for the'purpose of holding the yarn-guides from movement at certain times, intermediate swinging cams which therein operate the yarn-guide levers, and the inside yarn-guide.

In the accompanying drawings, on two sheets, Figure l is a plan of my improvement with parts of circular spring-needle knitting-machine, Fig. 2, a side elevation of a double yarn-guide in operative position and a loop-wheel; .hig. 3, an elevation of the inner end oi the outside yarn-guide; Fig. 4, a side elevation of the attern-wlreel, yarnl a portion of the head ation of. ti 1e yarn- (i, a perspective evices closed.

or cy cutting rhivices opt i, view or the yarn-cutter A indicates a illfi' fiilfidtfilllltiQT. a e row of l {spring-needles, B a loop-wheel or stitch wheel, (J a dividing-wheel, G a push-back, these parts being all of the usual construci tion and operation, the cylinder A being ro- I tated by any usual means in the direction shown by the arrow thereon, which is the opposite direction from that in which the cylinder in said patent is represented as rotating and the wheels B 0 being driven by engagement with the needles a. in practice such other well-known devices as presscrs, landing-whcels, ar rd finishing-wheels as are genorally used. Witlicircula spring-needles knitting-machines may be employed; but these l'orm no part of my invention. The parts of the striping devices hereinafter described are supported on a stand E, as in said patent. The pattern wheel or disk F does not diil'er essentially from that shown in said reissued patent, except that in each of the concentric circles ol holes f f there are in the present invention'twicc as many holes as there are teeth in the ratchet f on the periphery of said wheel instead of the same number of holes as teeth.

in the circle of holes which receive the pattern pins or screws f f the additional hole for each tooth is used to receive another pin or screw f or f,- these screws or pins being substantially as shown in said patent, but acting on the levers D 1), which. move the tubular yarn-guides d d d into and out of operative position directly instead of through the medium of the swinging cams shown in said patent. The lovers 1) l) are provided with cams d d, against which the patternscrews j j" strike to throw the yarn-guides out of operation, said levers being moved to operative position by springs d d substantially like those shown in said patent.

When one of the yarn-guides is to be out of operation [or only onocourse', a single pat- ,tern-screwff, is sullicicnt, as shown in Fig. 4, because said pattern-screw will remain in contact with the corresponding guide-lever during one revolution ol the cylinder A; but where several courses ol' the same yarn are required in the pattern the inoperative yarnguide lever would, if only one pattern-screw were used to a course, move toward its operative position at the next course, to be immediately moved in the opposite direction by the next pattern-screw, and said lever would be in a constant vibration without any useful 'the new yarn.

cl d are supported in and longitudinally ad justable in brackets d" d, in which said guides result, because the outward movement would cause the joining at each revolution and then move inward without completing a course.

' The use of an increased number of screws renders unnecessary the locking-levers and connected parts shownin said reissued patent, reducing the first cost of. the machine, the cost of repairs, and complication of parts.

The yarn-guides cl :1 in this invention are, independently of each other, adjustable with reference to the loop-wheel and to the yarn holding and cutting device to enable the yarn delivered by the yarn-guide farthest from the loop-Wheelgto enter between thesame needles when thrown into operative position. as the yarn. delivered by theother yarn-guide, so-

that the length of the joining would be the ,same no matter which yarn-guide introduces To this end the yarn-guides 'vil M is arranged inside of a circle of needles (a the loop-wheel in the direction of rotation of the needle-cylinder. Thecutter proper or chopper N is a wedged shaped-or aX-like forms to the upper surface of the anvil M, said surface being represented as straight,

spring n, secured to the anvil M, and pressing on the top of the arm or lever n. l N is 'opened'b one arm h of a shaft H, which is parallel wit the. axis of the pattern-wheel n of the cutter N and 'is raised by a pin it set in one ofthe inner circle of holes in the patare held by set-screws d (1 near the upper tern-wheel, running over an incline k on an ends of said brackets, and the lower endsof said brackets are pivoted on the upper ends of the levers D D. The outer upperend portions of the tubes pass freely throu h loops d d", provided with hubs d d, w iich are supported on a horizontal stud al which projects from an arm, secured on the frame or stand E, and said loops are (independently of each other) capable of turning on said stud and are held on said stud by set-screws d d" in an obviousmanner. By setting said loops d (Z in different radial positions on the stud (1 the height of the delivery ends of the yarn-guides d (1 when at restthat is, when in or out of operationwill be varied. Another short yarn-guide d is shown secured by a bracket (Z to one,d, of the yarn-guides, one above the other, to enable two yarns to be introduced together, these yarns being of different colors or material, or both, one of the yarns usually, but not necessarily, being heav- 1er than the other, and one yarn showing on the face and the other on theback. of the fabric, the tubes being adjustable lengthwise to bring the delivery ends in the proper relation to each other, to the needles, to the loop- Wheel, and to the holder and chopper N to vary theheight of the yarn on the loop-wheel, the upper "yarn on the loop-wheel showing mostly on the back of thefabric andthelower yarn predominating on the face of thefabric,

making 'what iscalled plaited work on the stri e, which is formed by the double'guide d that is, the plaited stripe will show a mixture of colors of which one is more appan ent on the face and the other on the bac Of course both stri es may be the fabric.

plaited, if desired, by making 0th of the yarn-guides with double, tubes, but in the drawin s, Figs. land 3, one yarn-tube is shown as'sing e and would make a stripe of solid color. The yarn-severing devices arerepresent'ed as comprising a block or anvil'M, supis completed;

when the j 'oining 1 er I is represented as a helthrown out of operation just before it is cut,

but downwardly inclined, and said chopper being secured rigidly to an arm or lever n, pivoted at n to the side of the anvil. Theblade N is forced toward the anvilfbya F and which extends under the movable arm ical or spiral Wire spring, one end ofwhich'i's I secured to the push-back and the other to I ported upon a post 9 on the push-back and. retained thereon by a set-screw m. Y The anlittle above the tops of the same and back of blade having a cutting edge n, which conother arm of said shaft H just atthe time f The yarn is drawn between-the coils of-the .9 5 cutter N and to the dividing-wheel 0 whenand the new yarn is drawn out of said holder -'before the old yarn-enters said holder.

The stationary outside yarn-guide P has a curved guiding edge 1, which presses against the beards of the needles and. descends in the direction of rotation of the cylinder to prevent the yarn which is going out of operation from getting under the beards of the needles 'B. So far as above stated the stationary guide P is essentially the same as shown in a separator p, which is represented as a bent wire attached to the under side'of the curved edge p and abovethe other'guide-wire double yam-guide apart and preventing pear on the wrong sideor unfinished face, while the lower arn appears on the ,face proper of the fa ric'.

the manner shown id'said patent.

The separator extends over the tops of the part of said guide-P andnear the curved which holds up the yarn delivered by t elower'tube' d of the double arn-guide and prevents it getting below the cop-wheel, the" separator keeping the two :yarns from said IOD and to guide the yarn which is coming into o erative position down between the nee-Q d es into the proper place on the loop-wheel said patent. I l have added to said guide P theinfrom being twisted together-and causing the yarn from the upper tube (1 to. take" a higher placeon the loop-wheel and to-ap,

12 5 p e yarn from the single guide d also supported on the top of the separator and under the guide-plate 111 needles and isalways between the two yarns carried by the double tube-guide whether in or out of operation.

I claim as myihvention- '1. The combination ofneedles, a loop wheel, a cutter and a holder consisting of a closed helical s ring, and means for opening said cutter and for stretching said springholder simultaneously with the engagement of the yarn by the loop-wheel.

2. The combination of a pattern wheel having pins, cam-levers, brackets pivoted to said levers, yarn-guides secured to said brackets, loops loosely surrounding said yarn-guide above said brackets, and meansfor adjusting said loops independently of each other.

3. The combination of a needle-cylinder and needles, a loop-wheel, a movable double yarn-guide, means for throwing the same into and out of operative position, a stationaryyarn-guide ada ted to direct the yarns into said loop-whee and-a separator to keep the two yarns delivered by said double yarnguide apart from each other and one above the other on said loop-wheel.

4."The combination of a needle-cylinder and needles, a loop-wheel, a movable double yarn-guide, 'means for throwing the same into and out of operative position, a station guide apart from each other and one above -the' other on said loop-Wheel, s'aid separator consisting of a wire supported by said stationary guide and extending from said stationary guide nearly to said double guide and having a free end portion which extends over the tops of the needles and to the inside of the circle of needles and between'the yarns delivered by said double guide.

5. In a striping attachment for circularknitting machines the combination of a block having a face adapted to su port a yarn, a ivoted cutter having an (3( ge par allel with spring to force said edge against said face of said block, a spiral wire spring yarn-holder, movable yarn-guides to place yarns upon said laceand means to raise said cutter away from said block, and. to stretch said spring and separate said cells to receive one or more, previously held by said holder. k

In testimony whereof I have allixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DANIEL F. SULLIVAN.

Witnesses ALBERT M. Moons, GRAoE CRowLEYL I yarns and to release ayarn or yarns said block when resting thereon, a 

